


Research Materials

by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)



Series: Secrets and its sidestories [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Female Friendship, Fifteen Minute Fic, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-02
Updated: 2005-03-02
Packaged: 2018-02-20 16:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2434880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edenfalling/pseuds/Elizabeth%20Culmer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny and a friend discuss Muggle fairy-tales and their application to both Voldemort and Snape.  Cute and silly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Research Materials

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet was inspired by the 3/1/05 [15minuteficlets](http://15minuteficlets.livejournal.com) word #96. Apple Rumluck is an original character from [Secrets](http://archiveofourown.org/works/882572/chapters/1699723), my retelling of CoS from Ginny's point of view.

Apple didn't understand why Ginny read fairy-tales.

"You're a witch," she said. "You know about real magic and real dragons. Why bother reading Muggles' mangled ideas of our world?"

"The magic isn't the point," Ginny said, and tried to explain about archetypes and fundamental story patterns, and quests and the lesson that evil can, in fact, be overcome. "I think we'd be a lot better off if more people read fairy-tales. Then maybe everyone would realize that Voldemort isn't invincible," she concluded.

Apple raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Here, listen," Ginny said, flipping through her illustrated book. "In this story, the evil wizard Koschei the Deathless kidnaps princesses and makes them his slaves. Anyone who tries to rescue them gets turned to stone, and even if they can protect themselves from that, Koschei's immortal. He took out his heart, see, and if you can't destroy his heart, you can't kill him.

"Sound familiar?"

Apple nodded, but still looked unconvinced. "I assume somebody manages to conjure a happy ending?"

"Yes. You see, Koschei is so worried that someone will find his heart that he guards it too obviously. And the hero makes friends with the animals Koschei mistreats, and they help steal the heart. So Koschei dies, the stone people come back to life, and the princesses are free. And it's all because he didn't understand about people working together."

"It's a nice idea," Apple said, "but I don't think it's particularly applicable. _We_ aren't going to be helped by talking squirrels or ants."

"Well, probably not." Then Ginny grinned, in a way that her family and friends had come to recognize as trouble. "But I know another reason to read fairy-tales."

"Oh?"

"Research." Ginny pointed at an illustration, and an answering grin spread across Apple's face.

Professor Snape was _not_ pleased to find toads and vipers dripping from his mouth every time he tried to insult a student. But Apple never said another word against Ginny's reading habits.


End file.
